Ducati MotoGP

How Ducati Makes Its Most Extreme Bikes

MotoGP teams must follow a plethora of regulations when they build their custom bikes for competition. Just a few of them are as follows:

-As of 2012, the maximum engine displacement permitted is 1,000 cc with a maximum of four cylinders. Two-stroke engines are not allowed.-If your motorcycle is over 800 cc, it must weigh at least 160 kilograms.-Each team is allowed to have two bikes prepared for each rider in case a bike has issues or if one gets wrecked during a qualifying or practice session.

Ducati, like most other MotoGP manufacturers, likes to keep all of the technical details of its bikes as much as possible on the down low so as not to unwittingly give an advantage to its competitors. Specs are therefore usually given in very general terms.

This year, for instance, Ducati’s Desmosedici GP13 comes ready with 235 hp (up five hp from the GP12) and can reach speeds of over 330 km/h (205 mph), while its dry weight is 160 kilograms (353 pounds), bumped up slightly to meet the minimum requirement.

Winning a MotoGP race brings great prestige to manufacturers as it showcases their technological capabilities. Produced from expensive and extremely light titanium and reinforced carbon fiber, the race bikes also feature advanced carbon disk brakes, engine management systems and traction control — features not traditionally made available on regular, street-legal bikes.

Ducati concentrates heavily on reducing weight in its motorcycles to allow for easy handling. A Ducati motorcycle takes three years to progress from the drafting table to the racetrack, and every year, the Ducati design team attempts to reduce the weight of every component on the bike and make it lighter than the previous year. The team works hard to make sure that the bike only has the elements it needs to win.

After the first draft of the new bike has been sketched, it moves to the “Pre-Clay” 1:1 scale model stage that helps designers get a better feel for what their vision will look like. It then moves to a clay model as modifications to the design continue. Virtual modeling and design teams then optically scan the model and build and test repeated prototypes until the bike is ready.

All this work goes into getting the bike on the track and yet from there, modifications continue to be made as it still may not be ready to compete with the other racers and manufacturers. Bernhard Gobmeier, Ducati Corse’s general manager, stated after the race: “We made some improvements to several aspects of the bike, but a major issue remains; we can’t hold a line, so we run wide in the corners. That prevents better lap times and adds up at the end, especially on this track, which has a lot of sequential corners.”

Both Ducati bikes made it into the top 10, but as with any sport — be it football, tennis or racing — that’s just not good enough. A first-place finish is the only goal going into the race. Nicky Hayden placed ninth and was clearly disappointed, saying, “I was OK on much of the track, but I never found the confidence in the front end to flick the bike into the corners, which hurt me in the esses. The guys did a good job getting me a better bike for the race, and I don’t really have any excuses.”

No excuses, but definitely frustration. It’s a long season, however, so Ducati and its riders will carry on throughout the season and continue making adjustments to the bikes and do their best to get on the podium. Perhaps the Spanish Grand Prix will prove friendlier for Hayden and the rest of the Ducati team.